Yeah but how much does one animatronic yeti cost in comparison to this park-wide RFID update? Pennies. I'm not saying it's 100% going to work flawlessly every time. Sometimes investments don't pay off, and the yeti would be an example of that, but people are assuming it's going to be a huge failure as if Disney just tosses their money around without any sort of tests to make sure the technology works. It seems pretty silly to jump to that conclusion without even seeing the final product yet. We don't even know precisely what this new ending is going to be or how it will work yet, and people are assuming complete and total failure.

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Once again, I raise you Test Track and its new technology. The car you design is supposed to show up on the screen at various points throughout the ride. I've ridden it 3 times and that has yet to happen. I also haven't heard of anyone observing this working correctly. A prime example of Disney rolling out something big before fixing all the bugs. I certainly hope I'm wrong about IASW, but I don't have high hopes for it working consistently. I wish they would leave well enough alone.

not keen on the idea that those bracelets will tell every scanner everything. It should see you as a number. I don't think every scanner needs to know who you are. how are the celebrities gonna do it ? How will they pronounce everyone in the boat ? It's not like it's a single rider or even double rider boat.

Once again, I raise you Test Track and its new technology. The car you design is supposed to show up on the screen at various points throughout the ride. I've ridden it 3 times and that has yet to happen. I also haven't heard of anyone observing this working correctly. A prime example of Disney rolling out something big before fixing all the bugs. I certainly hope I'm wrong about IASW, but I don't have high hopes for it working consistently. I wish they would leave well enough alone.

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Also the touch screens in Spaceship Earth. They have only been working about half the times I've ridden.

Is anyone just a smidge disappointed that Disney's fancy new addition to IASW is technology that Universal has used at ET for the past 20+ years?

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My first thought as well. Hopefully they figure out a way to get the pronounciations done better, although if they're reading it straight off the ID's then I won't be able to give joke names like we used to on ET.

Is anyone just a smidge disappointed that Disney's fancy new addition to IASW is technology that Universal has used at ET for the past 20+ years?

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No disappointment. Happy to see they are adding it in. I don't really compare the two other than if I want roller coasters and thrill rides, we'll spend a day at US. If not, we stay at Disney the whole trip.

Is anyone just a smidge disappointed that Disney's fancy new addition to IASW is technology that Universal has used at ET for the past 20+ years?

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I thought the same thing. Not the disappointment part necessarily, I just immeadiately thought that it sounds a lot like the E.T ride I went to as a child 20 years ago.

It's still nice I guess, I'm sure children will enjoy it. But it doesn't seem like it will be anything new or unique. Maybe they'll add something else to it other than just saying goodbye to you using your name?

I never meant it was too big to fail. I was just astounded that people were jumping to the conclusion that it won't work and will be a big failure without knowing anything about it. And when a lot of money is involved, you know a lot of research is too, because no company is careless with money. Does it mean it will definitely work? No, of course not. But people have been talking about these changes as if the people at Disney just came up with it one day, did no research, and tossed some money at it, and it's doomed for failure. Nobody even knows enough about it yet to be making those kinds of assumptions.

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Sweetie, maybe you could consider that some of us have probably been going to WDW since before you were born. We've seen more than a few instances of Disney rolling out a new, and very expensive, feature and then have watched as it promptly fell over and twitched.

Yes, many times they have come up with something new and shiny and it works and everyone jumps up and down and cheers. But they also had things like the yeti. And Test Trak (both it's initial rollout and this new incarnation). The iffy functioning of the screens on Spaceship Earth. Almost every single web "upgrade" has been fraught with bugs. This latest one has been a nightmare from the get go.

And because so much of the Next Gen plusses are tied to a fully functional and bug free computer controlled system, those of us who have experienced previous problems can pretty much assume with confidence that there will be problems. It's kind of like when my DH straps on his tool belt and announces his next DIY project. I just smile and then go check the contents of the first aid kit.

Since the Small World boats hold 20 or more people (I've been seated with 4 adults per row...5 rows...), I'm wondering how they'll pull this off. Will everyone listen to 20 or more names?

And how long before teens start being silly and working profanity or inappropriate suggestions into their "names"? Definitely sounds like something my friends would've done. I guess Disney has already thought of all of this and plans to stay on top of it.

As to using Ipads in the park for apps? Sure, why not? To read or check email? Again...go for it. But it's rude to hold up this big bright screen that blocks other's view and could be worse than flash photography for the other passengers in a ride due to it constantly being on rather than intermittent flashes.